Automobile testing apparatus



Aug. 20, 1935. .1. 1... SHROYER AUTOMOBILE TESTING APPARATUS Filed Feb.12, 1934 EVE! 4:1 c/acoZ 9C 6%r03 e7 med A 11935 1 Q 2,012,110

Jicob fo Oak-Par I112 'Ihepreserit invention relates to an improvedtesting" apparatus" useful in garages, 'filling "stati'o'ns, servicestations, and the like, to afford a convenientrneanswhereby anautomobile may be "5' driven onto the apparatus to test the. emciencyaction of the testing apparatus to 'rnaintain the f operation'ofthepower wheelsoof thegautomobile "thereof by applying the driving powerof the automobile to the testing apparatus andheadline the d velop dorse ower s i ab eai sq h may be calibrated in horSepowentorQue, :infoot 4 pounds, or any other suitable manner, so' pgsitioned as to bereadily observed. I

b'ect vide a testing apparatus for'autornobi'les wherein V thepowerdeveloped'by the. autoniobile undergo,- ingtest, maybreadilylobSrve'd.

undergoing test, at a constant speed;

Another Object of the fin'vention is to provide an automobile testingapparatus "Wherein'the driving wheels j of v the automobile are";positioned in driving contact'with friction wheelsof the'ap paratusjforoperatingbrakemechanisrn', together w ihifli i j r 'qo t b meanswh re ae trifugalpump is utilized to buck-thebr'ake action of the testingapparatus forlmainta;iningthe' I operation'of theautomobile' ata'constantfs'peeds and wherein the, powerdevelopedby th'lautonio:

bile under such conditions may be, translated to a suitable gaugeforjready observation.

A. still; further object of thepre'se'nt is V to provide an automobile:testing apparatus wherein the drive wheelsfo'f the: automobile tin-Tderg'oingtestare utilized foriactuatingi af centrif ugal pump and abrake mechanisrn' and v wherein the action 10f the brake rnechjanisniiiscontrolled by theprefssurecreated by the pump,

and wherein a constant speed, at which theauto-r. -'-mobile wheelsoperate whileund'ergoin'g test is .niaintained by the ce'ritrifll afpurnp;bllckin flthe braking action without the use of governors, or

other instruinentalities'j," together" with means whereby the, constantspeed rnay ber varied to V representany givenfrate. f

an; automobile; testing apparatus including fliG1 tionjwheels mounted onashaft oniwhich is also secureda brake "drum, and a from which shaft a;

centrifugal pump is driven by positive connection '1' 'at q'n.iatebrimyg12, 1934; f S eriai K057163551 2' was; o (01,. ass- 24) ,v

f the present? ventionis tojpro enerally s'peakingthe inventionconternplates1 and wherein the brake means" engaging'the drum areactuatedby fluid pressure responsive .to the action of the pump andwh erein the fluid under pressure is controlled tc maintain the speed of 1'the automobile WheelS atfaconstant speed;- after ye'ntion will b'e-apparent from the. following defscription, 1 accompanyingidrawing, andappended ,f

i accompanying dra ing illustrates ti grammatically, an apparatusembodying the principles of the present invention andtheviews thereofare as. follows:

.Flg'nre i -is' an'elevational"view, diagrammati- Cally shc w'n, ..withapparatus constructed inaccordance with the principlesjof the presentin-f vjentionand showing the relationship of the vari ous'parts'ehteringinto-the apparatus Figure; 2v is a schematic elevational VlW oni areduced scale from that shown in Figure 1,'s howing, an automobiledriving wheel engaging a friction wheelfand Tan idler wheel or roller;on one s'id'ofthea aratusl Figure 3 is a .viewofonetypeoflmounting forthe ,pivotalpoints ofthe brake arms; o

Thejdrawing will nowbe. 'explained; i l

r Figure 1 represents, diagrammaticallygari ap- I paratusrcapable ofcarrying out the presentin:

vention, 'and1.asillustrated, includes a shaft 1 Which'j'is',suitablylsupported in journals andon;

which' sh'af t' is fixed arbrake drum 2 and near itsextremities,.friction wheels 3 and apulleyj Adjacent the friction wheels3,;and. mounted onstub, shafts 5, suitably supported, are idlerundergoing test.

receive therebetween a wheel 'Lof-the automobile The apparatus of thepresent invention is erablyarranged within a ,pit so that the fricugn'wnee s 73: and the :idlerwheels or rollers; 6 are substantially evenwith vthe 'fi'o'or or ground elevated above. the'su'rrounding surface. r

r Foriengaging the brake drum 2 with braking V actions, there are usedbrake means, 'hereiniillusl trated as shoes-9 and, ID, engaging.respectively: v the top and bottom of the drum 2;; asthe same appears inFigure 1; The? brake shoes'fi-and I'll are carried respectively by brakearm'sll and At each side the rnachine there is ages-j tionwheelrorroller3 and one idler. roller Ste other positive" driving connection"couldbeutilized for accomplishmentof the'desired results.

I2, which have portions I3 and I4 extending towards each other andpivotally connected at their meeting ends by a shaft I5. The extremitiesof the shaft I5 are carried in brackets I6,

arranged adjacent the sides of the pit 'or frame structure, supportingthe apparatus, which brackets have elongated openings I'I so that theshaft I5 may have movement therein in service.

A fluid pressure responsive means,. such as a bellows I8 is connectedbetween theextremities of the arms II and I2, remote from .the'ends ofthe arms carrying the shoes 9 and III, that is on the opposite side ofthe pivot I5 from the brake shoes. The bellows is connected to the armsII and I2 by means of links I'Qand 20 .to enable relative movement ofthe arms during use. v

One of the arms, the arm I2 herein illustrated;

is provided with an extensionZI near the end of which a chain 22 isattached. The oth'r'end of'the chain is connected to a lever 23, pivotedintermediate its ends at 24,,while the other'gend jo f the lever isconnected to .one end of a fgauge m; 2.5L Q g d, -th a p m fii i ,il 'ioin s table o i Offthe app t s? gauge 2T; calibratedin foot pounds, isprovide'dwith a movable pointer 28 pivoted at 29' H v drumi 30 overwhichcp'asses a flexibleflcable" 31; which 'cableis'connected at e gernslever Z Sadjacent the gauge spring ;-*A-ttached to the other end of thecable 3 1 5 3 W i ht 3 2, while suitable pulleys 33, 3 ,"Iand 35areprovided so that the cable "3| 'may actuate and theweight 32. V

The fluidpressure system as illustrated, includes' a' c entrifugal pump35. To the shaft of it's impeller is attached a pulleyf3lfa'belt 38connects thepulley 31 of the pumpwith the pul leyl on the shaftIsothat'the pump is actu'- ated wheneverithe shaft I is rotated by thetest; 1 "Whilethe centrifugal pump has been shown as driven from theshaft I by meansof pulleys and a belt, it is of course understood thatany power wheels 1 of the automobile undergoing A tank His-provided forcontaining a supply of {fluid for the fluid pressure circuit; Apipe 40isconnected'to the tank'and to'the intake side of i the pump35 forsupplying fluid to the pump.

The discharge side-of the pump hasa :pipefl connected to it, and in turnconnected to a T 43,

shown as a three-way T, to' t he opposite branch of which T from thepipe 42, a Short pipe I communicates with a handval've 45. Fromfthe 3.9is a regulating valve 5| having a handwheel 52 for manual operation. i 1*Ihegpurp'ose of the valve. 51 is, by manipulation'fof the .handwheel52, to restrict the flow of fluid'from the pump 36 to the supplytank39,"and therebyregulate the amount of fluid under pressure supplied to thebellows I8. Bylmanipulating" the valve 5|, an amount of fluid may beadmitted to the bellows I8, to maintain the speed of the shaft Iconstant in accordance with the fluid so admitted, and thus enablesregulation of the system to permit operation of the automobile wheels Ito represent any constant speed of the automobile- Any suitable fluidmay be employed, but it has been found that a mixture ofalcohol andwater i sat sfa 79 t pfi fiti 9 fiPP ,under'va'rying temperature andother conditions. Because of the floating mounting of the pivotal shaftI5 of the brake arms II and I2, when the brake is applied to the drum 2,there is a tendency .pf these'arms to rotate withthe drum. The provisionof the flexible conduit as a connection between'the'pipe 48 and thebellows I8, allows such rot ation of the-arms; or such tendency torotate without disrupting the connection between the pipe '48 and'thebellows.

;. ,Mlhen the parts are atrest, .the pivotal shaft i e's-t e b ak rms 4'an 2 s i ed in G l w ds 'p the .IQC SSBS 0 the b a k ts 15 and theb g ae asedi iom'brak g gagement with .the dr In o e t a ford tre I rh d infi ih its; ap ara u i r rse Jdirsefiqri rc n entry a cve lm rj ne l charr feneernent s 'pijovided in t e tractio wheels 2.. h sb er mnins c uc is sho d mma ir callyin Figure 2." j'l Keyed or otherwise permanentlysecured to the shaftj l 'are" -pl',ate which plates are provided with as r es'of ot e 5. n ve y on of w ch notches is afroller V55. Aringis'jfixe'd to the f ame adia ent achiricticn h e a d coo crates with theplates 53 to ldrivecthe shaft! whe t =D 533 mta q in th d rec n o th rowa h wnfl ur 2- J Th ire t n pflrg' at n o t ut mo wheels I', the,frictionwheels 3, and the centriiugall'pump 3,6; are ,shownflbyarrows,'in'.the seva 'fiei esiflan re r sen he d e t on of tation whileautomobile wheels I, are being drivenr in' a iorward irection.Inthisjcase, the QYerrunningjclutchj in the ,fri'ction wheels 'orroll;ers 3 corm'ectsthe f riction wheels to the'jsha'ft I to ,dnr it an h oul i o r e t e Qfil fi f f u a pum ts Wheh'atest is fcomplete dfthe motopf the tqm-o i e i 's o p d, .o se the fil eini s o actuat t t ow ut thfo w d gear, generally the high speed gear, whereupon the autom"bilefwheelsf ljafnd the trictiqn wheels st} Wben'th rev rs ea of. h vaii om. v 1 1%, is "put 1 1. 1 mesh; and the t v an? ated' to back. off.tnei ehi le. the 'e iam bi w eels. than ot t .t 'friciion Whe s 31.1. t.11 te mille sho n in a w 'ili re 2 wh re o errunnine cl ch; heretof oredescribedg comesinto action to pre'-, vent rotationof thefijictionwheels din clock.- Wi slitectmnr s vieivcdin F u Thi Cl ingof lthefriction wheels, 3 therefore forms sufiit "traction for, he automob lewheels 1 i ha k' i theies zenn u i I iTh iqpcra iqniolf the a par t s isas follows; General y Sp ak n t e Pres ur r d by ce riiueal-pi enisitheqiiar 1c: the ic of t n automobile is 'drivenlgnt o the test "appa.-ams. 9 th p esent means. .'lththe. .drivi fiQl l he o in en a ement w hwthefri i n wheels 3' and-idler rollers -6 whereupon the vehicle. is in;p051 for test Theg'earis it, eautomc-j 1311? ar .ji he. as lia ed, iolcqnnqt the drivin e an .ai tqm b 6 35 miles an hour. Building up offluid pressure "wheels 1: to: the engine of the automobile through :the.high, speed .gear whereupon as '%soon' as the Eclutch is let. in;rotation llof the shaft is, caused 'by :rotation of theautomobile"wheels-11.x: The engine throttle or accelerator is thenfully'opened'. This inturn causes: EIOtal'IiOI fJOf the pump .3 6 7 tothereby build up pressure in the fluid pressure.

As the speed of the shaft increases the pressure; created by the pumpincreases to a point for j whichthe apparatus has,by manipulation ofvalve 5i, been set to cause the brakes to maintain the speed of theshaft at av constant speed, say

in the circuit, causes building up of pressure within the bellows l8,causing expansion thereof with a resultant application of the brakeshoes 9 and Hi against the drum 2. Application of thebrakes, in themanner stated, tends to cause the arms and I2 torotate about the shaft las. an axis, this motion therefore is reflected in theiupward movementof the extension 2I of the arm" 12, and thereupon the gauge spring 25comes into; actionto lower theright hand end of the lever 23, as viewedin Figure 1, and thus move the pointer 280i the dial 21.

The gauge or dial 2! is so coordinatedas to correctly represent thepower effort developed by the automobile undergoing test. M y "Duringthe time the apparatus is coming up to,

the desired Constant speed, say miles an hour,

- the pump delivers fluid under pressure to the bellows 58, the amountof which is controlled by the setting of the hand valve 5],. Some of thefluid returns to the'supply tank 39.

The setting of the hand valve 5| is such that as pressure is built uplbythe pumpBB, in thepipe.

48, a maximum amount of fluid under pressure is delivered to the bellows1-8. This maximum amount of fluid under pressure therefore regu- V'lates themaximum power effort of the braking system and therebymaintains the rotation of the brake drum and its shaft I at a constantspeed as represented, by the pressure within the bellows As soon as theautomobile wheels reach the constant speed for, which the. apparatus isset, f

namely 35 miles an hour, no further pressure is created within thebellows I8, this then determines the maximum movement of the arms IIand. [2, about the shaft l as an axis and the dis placement of thepointer 28 of the gauge 21, as

causedlbythe gauge spring 25, represents the mechanical effort developedby the automobile at that speed. I

As soon as the test is completed, the automobile wheels I are brought torest whereupon the shaft l comes to rest and the pump 35 also. Some ofthe fluid within the bellows 'l8' then flows out throughthe hose andreturns. to the supply tank, 39. The automobile is then backed ofi'theapparatus in the manner heretofore described.

During the test just described the valve 45 is 7 opened to allow thefull outputof thepump ad- 'mission to the pipe 48.

ascertain the revolutions per minute of the pump Should it be desired to36, and consequently the shaft l,the valve 45 may be closed to shut offfluid to the pipe 48, whereupon'pressure is built up in the pipe 46which pressure of course, is representative of the speed of the pump andconsequently the shaft 1, and indicates such pressure on the gauge 41.

Because of the relationship between the pressure i and the speed of thepump, and consequently the speed of the shaft, the gauged! may becalimay be substituted, without departing from the The term"constant asherein used, as applied to speed, isused to representthespeed of and itis to be understood that such speedis not the-same for all vehiclesflinall conditions of test.

For example, in one test, such constant speed might be'15 P.'H.; asecondtest might dethe friction wheels as stabilized by the action; ofthe braking energy of the tester apparatus,

velop 'a constant spee'd'of 35 M. P. HL, while ana other a constantspeed of 50 ML P. H. The con,.

stant speed mentionedis that at which the drivin'g energy of theautomobile wheelsis stabilized or balanced by thebrakingenergy of thetester apparatus and varies forcars of different power. Tests havedetermined the amount of tester loads to be applied to be equivalent totheload the engine would haveto carry to drive the car at the speedatwhich the testis made. v j The gauge 41 is-used to check the speedometeron the vehicle undergoing test. The valve 45 is I closed and the caroperated at any speed and the reading of the speedometer at that speedmaybe compared with the reading on gauge 41,.

The term bellows has been used herein generically, and not .by way oflimitatiomand contemplates any fluid pressure responsive meanssuitablefor the purpose. r

Claims generic to the present inventionare in- 1 cluded in copendingapplication Serial" No.

The invention has been described herein more or less precisely as todetails, yetiit is tobe understood that the invention is not to belimited thereby, as changes maybe made in the arrangement and proportionof parts, and equivalents spirit. and scopeof the invention. Theinvention is claimed as follows: a a

1. An automobile tester including in combination, a shaft, a brake drumon said shaft arranged to be driven by-automobile wheels undergoingtest, brakeshoes engageable with said drum, arms carrying said brakeshoes, fluid pressure actuated meansoperatably associated with said armsand responsive to the'speed of said drum for varying thebraking effect.of said brake shoes on said drum, saidfluid pressure means including acentrifugal pump positively driven by the shaft, a

bellows connected to the brake arms and com- 'municating with said pump,saidpump building up pressure in said bellows by increased speed of saiddrum for varying'the braking effectof, said brake shoes to stabilize thespeed of said drum and buck the action of the brakes, and a valve?operable independently of the speed of the tester for regulating theamountof fluid'under pressure admitted to said bellows. j a

2. An apparatus for testing torque developed by the'driving wheels ofanautomotive vehicle at a constant. speed, said apparatus including brakemeans and means for balancing the driving energy of the vehicle wheelsbysaid brakemeans to stabilize thevehicle wheel speed, said balancingmeans including a shaft, a brakedrum on'said'" shaft engageableby saidbrake meansyfri'ction" wheels on said shaft for driving it by saidvehicle wheels, a fluid circuit, a pump in'said circuit positiVelydriven from said shaft; and fluid pi'es'surie responsive means connectedto said ,pumpmid to v said brake means vsaid pump xactuating said brakemeans by means 0! said fluid iressure redrum and shaft are proportionedto the driving energy of the vehicle whee1s,and nfan's bperableindependently of the speed of 'the appai'atus fdr varying the. amolmt'offluid supplied 156 said fluid pfssu're responsive means 01 therebyvarying the .operatin oisaid'apparatus to reprseniiany I 5 given rate ofonsta'nt' automobile JACOB L. Simona;

